Alaskan Christmas Cold Case

by Sarah Varland

  “Let me know if you can.”

  He reached for the door. Stopped, looked back at her.

  She got goose bumps down to her toes at the warmth in his look. She’d had too little of that in her life.

  “You’re sure this is okay with you? The troopers had an extra man, Trooper Pederson, and he’s going to stay here with you.”

  Erynn hadn’t met him, but maybe that was better. It would be awkward if someone she usually worked with were acting as a kind of bodyguard. Except for Noah. Somehow when he was protecting her it seemed natural. Right.

  “It’s fine, Noah.”

  He stepped toward her, pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll be back in a few hours. At any point if you feel like this isn’t working or you have a bad feeling, I don’t care how unfounded it is, you call me and I will come back, okay?” His eyes were serious, the corners around them crinkling with worry.

  “Okay. But I’ll be fine.” She could only hope that would be true. She knew that letting Noah go was what was best for the case. So, in the grand scheme, best for her.

  And then he was gone, a tall, blond man entering in his place. “Hello.” She nodded a welcome to Trooper Pederson then went back to the living room. She’d find a book to read and maybe make those few hours go by a little faster.

  * * *

  The book hadn’t helped. Neither had the TV show she’d turned on to try to distract herself. Erynn finally busied herself cleaning. In the few positive memories she had of her birth mother, she remembered her cleaning a lot. So somehow it was a thing she could do that seemed to help the world feel right when it would otherwise have felt all wrong.

  She started with the floors in Noah’s house, though they weren’t too dirty to start with. She’d noticed early on in their friendship that Noah was no slob, so it didn’t surprise her that he kept his home relatively clean, though she couldn’t say she’d ever been there before this week.

  Their friendship had been close but casual. She’d kept it that way on purpose, avoiding spending time together at either of their houses or really alone anywhere. Had known they needed to keep space between them to keep her from admitting she’d fallen for him. Or vice versa. A lot of good that had done, because once she was really in trouble, Noah had been the first one she’d called: the man she trusted to help get her out of it.

  Apparently you could only hold people at a distance and pretend for so long. Erynn scrubbed harder.

  Once the floors were even cleaner than they had been, Erynn moved from there to the windows. As she dusted one of the front windowsills, she noticed that Noah’s front porch was covered in mud people had tracked up. It had dried and turned to dirt. There was a broom right next to the door.

  Erynn looked at the front door and glanced back at the trooper, who was sitting at Noah’s dining room table.

  “Mind if I head outside for a few minutes?”

  He was already standing. “I’ll have to come with you. My assignment was pretty clear.”

  She had expected that, though it didn’t make it any easier to know that she was basically being babysat 24/7. Instead of being upset, she nodded. “That’s fine.”

  While he grabbed his jacket, Erynn grabbed hers, noting the pile of extra winter gear Noah had by the door. She hadn’t brought a hat or gloves. Borrow some of his or just go without? It wasn’t as if she’d be outside for long. But she took them anyway, pulled them on and figured at least this way she wouldn’t be cold while she was sweeping.

  The cold air made her feel more awake, more alive, as soon as she opened the door. Maybe being outside had been what she needed the entire time. Trooper Pederson was in the front yard, no more than maybe ten feet away. She knew Noah would not allow even that distance between them if he was here with her, so maybe she’d mention the idea of going outside more often to him when he got back tonight. He’d feel better if he was the one out there with her, but she was really benefiting from the fresh air.

  “Erynn?”

  She didn’t like the apprehension in the other man’s tone. “Yes?”

  “Could you head inside? I thought I saw something in the woods I’d like to check out.”

  “Yep, I can do that.”

  “You’re a trooper. Did I understand that right?” he asked.

  “I am.”

  “Do you have your weapon?”

  “I do,” she said.

  “Get it out and wait for me inside. Lock the door. I have a key.”

  She did not waste any time dropping the broom where she stood—Noah would understand—and hurried back inside the front door to her comfortable prison, praying it would be enough to keep her safe this time.

  A minute passed. Nothing. She glanced out the window. Paced the living room. Decided that wasn’t helping and moved to sit in a chair at the table. Had it just been a few hours ago that she’d sat there with Noah and they’d come up with the plan for him to get back into the case, to leave her there? She was questioning it now.

  He’d said to call if she felt uneasy at all. Now counted, didn’t it?

  Two minutes passed. She would give Pederson three more minutes. Then she’d call Noah, lock herself in a bathroom and wait for him to arrive.

  She heard the back door ease open behind her and released the breath she’d been holding.

  “Did you find anything?” Erynn shifted her weight in the chair where she was sitting, turned to look at Trooper Pederson.

  She saw a flash of black, saw work pants, and looked up, alarm racing through her at the thought that this might not be Pederson after all.

  Pain exploded in her head as something hard connected with it. Her pulse thundered in her ears, each beat like another blow.

  And then she felt nothing.

  * * *

  Unease prickled the back of Noah’s neck, down his back and shoulder blades as he backed his car out of his spot at the police department to head for his house. He’d not been able to get nearly as much done as he’d hoped to, because Erynn had never been far from his mind.

  The ME had determined that the cause of death for Janie Davis was indeed a result of the gunshot wound to the heart. It had been what they’d assumed, but having it confirmed was good. Madison Reynolds had died of blunt force trauma to the head.

  The best part of his day, though, had been the message waiting for him on his work phone. Erynn’s dad’s former partner at the Anchorage Police Department, retired Officer Danny Howard, had called back. The man was retired now, it seemed, but, yes, he had information he thought could help. It had been all Noah could do not to plan a trip to Anchorage for tonight, picking up Erynn on the way. But things had been quiet for a few days and, as long as she seemed relatively safe in Moose Haven, he had no plans to change the status quo. Better not to take the risk.

  He’d call Danny Howard when he was with Erynn. That was a conversation she’d likely want to be present for.

  He glanced down at his phone on the armrest. No new texts from Erynn. He’d probably driven her crazy earlier today, checking in as often as he had. The same with Trooper Pederson, though the man had been gracious.

  At least now he was on his way back, didn’t have to trust her safety to anyone else until tomorrow. If he decided to go through with this plan to go to Anchorage.

  The closer he came to his house, the more the knot of dread in his stomach kept growing. Noah looked down again at the phone. He could call her now, hear her voice and know she was all right. Sure, she’d laugh at him for his overprotectiveness, but it would be worth it for his peace of mind.

  He picked up the phone, hit her speed dial number.

  It rang. And rang. Went to voice mail.

  Noah frowned. Tried again. He was probably three minutes away now. Three minutes and he could see her face-to-face, laugh about the fact that she’d accidentally left her phone somewhere, and lectur
e her about not doing that, lest she take years off his life by making him worry.

  It kept ringing. Voice mail again.

  One more minute of driving. He slipped his phone into his pocket as he pulled into his driveway, relief flooding him to see that nothing was out of place. Trooper Pederson’s car was where he’d left it.

  Except...what was that in the yard?

  Noah slammed the gearshift into Park and left the car without shutting the engine off, a sick feeling in his stomach as he ran to the prone figure. Yes, he’d known what the killer was capable of, but he still hadn’t imagined Erynn could really be...

  The crumpled body in dark clothing was too large to be Erynn.

  Trooper Pederson. Noah rolled the man onto his back, felt for a pulse and found one, and immediately pulled his phone out and called for backup. He looked around the yard, didn’t see any signs that the threat was still present, and ran across the yard toward the house. She could be okay. She could have locked herself in a closet, could have shot an intruder, for that matter. None of what he’d found so far meant she had to be dead.

  His heart was pounding in his chest. “Erynn!” Her name exploded from his lips.

  The front door was locked. Another bit of reassurance. He fumbled in his pocket for his house key, thankfully on a different ring than his car key, which was still in the ignition.

  Unlocked. He stepped inside.

  The back door stood wide open.

  “Erynn!” he yelled again, not hearing anything that would indicate she was still inside. He ran to the back door, his eyes catching on a slip of paper.

  Same cream paper. Same handwriting. Probably the same pen.

  I’ve got her. The end.

  He could put his fist through a wall. Instead he left the note where it was, knowing he’d ball it up and compromise evidence if he so much as touched it, and ran to his car.

  Erynn was out there somewhere. Backup could handle the scene at his house; he’d call to let them know that she was gone. But Noah wasn’t going to trust her safety to anyone else from now on. Not that he blamed Trooper Pederson. The man had probably done his job the best he could, but he wasn’t a man in love.

  Noah was. And he needed the woman he loved to be okay.

  THIRTEEN

  Throbbing, thundering pain in her head was the first thing Erynn noticed. Was she awake? Asleep? She tried to pry her eyes open but couldn’t. She was so tired... No she couldn’t sleep; she had to figure out where she was now, where she’d been. She remembered Noah’s house. The person inside who wasn’t Trooper Pederson. Being hit hard over the head.

  He had her.

  He sat in front of her, in the driver’s seat. Slight build. All in black. A mask on his head and a heavy black jacket on.

  Nothing about him would help her identify him.

  Erynn almost couldn’t breathe. She fought to give her lungs the air they needed, even as she tried again to open her eyes, this time succeeding. She was in a moving car’s back seat. She didn’t dare move her head and give away that she’d come to, but she could see through her peripheral vision that the woods were passing by at about a normal speed. Good, he hadn’t moved from dangerous to reckless yet, was still trying to avoid detection. That might give her the tiniest sliver of hope.

  Hope. A word she hadn’t had much use for most of her life. But maybe...if she lived...

  Goose bumps crept down her spine, across her shoulders. She was in a car being driven by a serial killer who had watched her friends take their last breaths. Had stolen part of her forever family from her. It was too much to process, too overwhelming for her mind to try to wrap itself around.

  If she was going to live, Erynn had to get out of the car. She knew that much from her training.

  She moved her arm slightly. No seat belt. Which made sense since he likely wasn’t too worried about her dying in a car crash.

  Why had he moved her at all? Why not just kill her where she was, right there in Noah’s home? Unless, of course, it had turned into a game for him now. They hadn’t yet established a motive for any of the foster kid killings, but Erynn had evaded him before, had remained alive for many years. That could explain the change in pattern.

  Whatever the reason, his intent was still clear. There wasn’t even the slightest possibility he would let her live. She needed to get out of this car. Could looking out the window again give her a hint as to where she was? Erynn squinted. No, only trees. There was no way to tell how long she’d been unconscious. They could be minutes from Moose Haven or most of the way to Anchorage. Or he could have taken her down the Sterling Highway toward Anchor Point and Homer, where more miles of untamed wilderness would provide the perfect place for him to hide her body.

  Erynn wasn’t going to let that happen. She looked at the door handle. The car looked like a Ford, judging by the finishes, a newer model like Clay drove. His doors unlocked automatically from the inside when you pulled against them; Summer had told her about how her dog could open the doors from the inside, even when the car was locked.

  Since there was no way to surreptitiously unlock the door before trying to make her escape, Erynn was going to have to hope that worked in this vehicle.

  If this was one of the highways, which was what it looked like, there were no stop signs along this road, nowhere that a driver would have to slow down enough to make what she was about to do less than foolish. Erynn made up her mind to stay still until he slowed down for a curve. She’d try it and see what happened.

  It was a morbid game to play, but if asked if she’d rather die at the hands of a madman or because she’d broken her body by accident trying to escape? She’d take the second option every time.

  Her chance came only a few minutes later. She felt the car ease off the gas, then a more intense deceleration as he pushed the break.

  Erynn grabbed the handle.

  “Hey!” He hit the brake harder and she took her chance, launching herself from the car and doing her best to brace her head and neck as she rolled to the shoulder of the road.

  She could hear the screech of brakes as he completed the stop. Heart pounding in her ears, body aching from the fall, Erynn stood and started to run. She had to get away from him.

  The woods. He would be able to see attempts at escape she made from the road and could just follow her, grab her again. This time, she suspected, he’d kill her where she stood. Not attempt any kind of abduction again.

  Ever.

  Erynn pushed her way into the forest, around tall spruces, her feet quiet against the forest floor. She heard nothing behind her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t following. She sped up her pace, desperate to find safety, keeping her body low to the ground to avoid being seen among the trees. She must not be far from either Moose Haven or Seward, because those were the only places that had trees this tall. This part of Alaska was the northernmost rain forest in the world.

  Strange, the facts that came to her mind when she was running for her life.

  Tripping over a root in the trail caused her to lose her balance, but only for a minute. Erynn forced herself to focus, to pretend she was back in the academy trying to prove herself equal to or better than the few men who had given her a hard time for being a woman in their world. Most of the men had been encouraging. But that small group? They’d given her a reason to push herself harder, to accept nothing less than her best from herself, especially in areas where they expected her to be weak, like the physical agility test.

  That was the determination she needed now, she told herself as she tried to take the thickest, most overgrown routes possible. But the vegetation was largely gone in the winter; only the thickness of the spruce forest saved her from being exposed altogether. The snow was largely melted in this area from a recent warm wind, or maybe there hadn’t been much because of the canopy, so any footprints she was leaving would be minimal.


  Still no sounds behind her, no cracking branches, not even a whisper of wind.

  The silence was overwhelming, but it was what she wanted to hear right now.

  It meant she had a chance. A flicker of hope.

  When she’d run for a solid half hour, Erynn felt in her pockets. Her phone. Was there any chance...?

  She felt its familiar rectangular shape in her jacket pocket. Thank You, God. Not just for the phone but for the fact that she had dressed more warmly than she’d needed to, to sweep the front porch. Otherwise she’d be concerned about the dangers of exposure. It wasn’t their coldest winter; the weather forecast she’d checked this morning had put temperatures in the midtwenties all day, but it was still cold enough to suffer hypothermia if someone wasn’t prepared for it.

  Phone in hand, Erynn looked for a more sheltered place where she could stop, see if she could get service to call Noah. Text him. Blow up his Facebook with messages.

  She needed him to come. Wanted a man to rescue her, for only the second time in her life, the first being when she’d thought Officer and Mrs. Cooper were heroes disguised as a normal couple who didn’t mind adopting a daughter nearly finished with high school.

  When she’d hidden herself as well as she could, Erynn slid the phone from her pocket. No service. She squeezed her eyes shut. Felt one small tear escape.

  And then she stood again. Because if she had heard it once in the short time she’d had Officer Mack Cooper as her dad, she had heard it a thousand times: Coopers don’t quit. And she was a Cooper through and through. Owed it to him to be a good one.

  She hurried through the woods, not sure if the killer was following her or if he’d given up for now.

  The woods seemed to grow thinner.

  Erynn’s heartbeat quickened as she wondered again how near she was to Moose Haven, what she’d see in front of her.

  It was a gravel road leading to a campground. Erynn looked to her right, toward the highway. She didn’t know how far off it she was. A quarter of a mile? Maybe more? It was hard to judge with all the trees she’d moved past, with how the cold had seeped through her pants and made her legs feel like ice.